Former President Bill Clinton defended President Joe Biden after his performance at the presidential debate on Thursday night against former President Donald Trump.
In a post on X, Clinton highlighted how Biden had “given us 3 years of solid leadership,” and created a “record number of new jobs,” and was “making real progress solving the climate crisis,” among other things.
“I’ll leave the debate rating to the pundits, but here’s what I know: fact and history matter,” Clinton wrote. “Joe Biden has given us 3 years of solid leadership, steadying us after the pandemic, creating a record number of new jobs, making real progress solving the climate crisis, and launching a successful effort in reducing inflation, all while pulling us out of the quagmire Donald Trump left us in. That’s what’s really at stake in November.”
Clinton’s words come after former President Barack Obama also came to Biden’s defense, noting that “bad debate nights happen.”
“This election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself,” Obama wrote in a post on X.
Biden’s debate performance left Democrats, several members of the media, and donors for the Democrat Party feeling panicked. Several people suggested that Biden should be replaced and pointed out that it had been a “disappointing debate performance.”
At several moments in the debate, the president looked confused, appeared to freeze, spoke with a hoarse voice, and mumbled. Biden also repeated several false claims – including the debunked “very fine people” hoax and the false “suckers and losers” claim.
The president was also unable to get through his closing statement without making many errors.
While many suggested replacing Biden, and several donors have backed out of their support for the president, the Biden campaign has insisted that Biden is not dropping out of the presidential race.
Biden admitted in a post on X that he “might not walk as easily or talk as smoothly,” or even “debate as well” as he used to.